We visited the pueblo of Riogordo for the world famous “El paso”. This is an open-air theatre where the local population put on a special Easter performance. Various scenes from the bible are played out to an audience of thousands. It is performed each Easter on Good Friday and Saturday.
We set-off from Nerja at around 2pm and arrived within an hour. The expected problems with parking never materialised. We found a great spot next to the outdoor arena. We headed for the ticket office and bought our tickets for 8 Euro each. The performance started at 4:30pm. The weather looked a little iffy but we were hopeful that we would avoid the rains.
We headed into the pueblo to visit the church and have some tapas. The church was displaying the various tronos used for the Easter processions. Outside, more tourists and locals were arriving in the town, however not as many as I would have thought. The tapas bar we picked was busy enough. We settled down on the only empty table and ordered racións of calamares, pinchos de gambas y ternera. The food was excellent. Our bellies full, we headed towards the arena. Our spirits dampened slightly by the slight drizzle in the air.
Church in Riogordo.
We took our seats and surveyed the area and the sky. The “stage” was set on a hillside with various sets built. The odd local dressed in brightly coloured robes could be seen setting up for the play in the background. We anxiously looked at the sky for signs of rain. It was a strange mixture of white clouds, black clouds and blue sky. The wind was strong, the clouds moving quickly. One minute we thought we would be in for a soaking, the other we were basking in the brilliant warm sunshine.
The play started with a pass-by of all the actors. Around 450 local people make up the cast, all impressively dressed for the period. The PA system would introduce the main actors as they passed by, whilst the first Roman soldiers stood to attention, banging their drums to a military march. Looking around the area it looked like the weather had put-off many visitors. Half of the 6000 capacity arena seats were empty. It was like being at Boundary park.
The cast enter the stage.
The first scene was from the old testament, the sacrifice of Isaac. Naturally, the whole play is in Spanish so a little knowledge of the biblical stories is a great help. Even without this you can basically make out the story. Abraham is sat on the hill waiting for a message from God. God instructs him to offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. He duly obliges, at first he does not tell Isaac the truth. However, Isaac is a bright kid and works out that something is the matter. Abraham crumbles and tells Isaac everything. Isaac understands and accepts his fate only for God to spare him. Abraham had proven is loyalty to God. Heavy stuff this bible!
Abraham takes Isaac to the mountain.
Other scenes are acted out are pictured below:
Jesus meets the samaritan woman.
The Sermon on the Mount.
Choosing the disciples (Judas was booed. Who leaked the plot?).
Jesus cures the blind man.
Jesus enters Jerusalem (Palm Sunday).
The last supper.
Judas betrays Jesus.
A guilt-ridden Judas hangs himself (Very spectacular).
Jesus taken to Pontius Pilate.
The carrying of the cross.
The crucifixion.
The play lasts for 3 hours that seemed to fly by when the sun was shinning, but a little uncomfortable with the threat of rain, the small rainfall and even hailstone. It was a great experience and well worth the 8 Euro entrance even if you can’t understand what is going on. This year they are putting on a special repeat during the night. “El Paso de Noche” will take place at 10pm on Friday 31st July and Saturday 1st August.
We left the arena whilst the actors were taking the applause of the crowd. Monica was a bit miffed but I wanted to escape the traffic, having been warned that you could be stuck for hours getting out of town. It turned out to be a great move, as the cast exit the arena and have to walk up the street that we had parked on. The whole cast passed by, including Jesus who said “Hola”. I wasn’t quick enough to ask for a photo, probably stunned by the miracle of the resurrection having just seen him crucified and his dead corpse carried away minutes earlier.
Meeting the cast on the street.
We had no problem getting to the road out of town. The Guardia Civil we present and stopping traffic turning right towards Málaga. That must be where the bottlenecks are. Great news for us, we were turning left toward Vinuela! We were back in Nerja within 50 minutes. A great day out!
